ECTS Mike Horton Award
Nominations period: nominations are now open till 8th December 2023
Professor Mike Horton (1948-2010) was a hematologist-turned-basic scientist who made significant contributions in the bone field and beyond. He performed pioneering work in osteoclast biology which resulted, among other things, in the recognition of the alpha v beta 3 integrin as a therapeutic target for inhibiting bone resorption. His warm personality and wide-ranging interests inspired many young researchers.
The award is for €1000 (Euros) and is announced during the ECTS annual congress.
Eligibility
The ECTS Mike Horton Award is open to individuals who have made a significant basic or translational contribution to the field of bone and calcified tissue.
ECTS Board members are not eligible to this award during term of office in the ECTS Board.
Submission Procedure
The Call for Nominations for the 2024 Mike Horton Award are now open till 8th December 2023.
Nominees must be nominated and seconded by ECTS members.
Nominations should be submitted via the online form.
Review Procedure
All nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of reviewers. The final decision is based on the marks and comments from the reviewers and any conflicts of interest are identified and dealt with appropriately.
Winner of the 2023 Mike Horton Award
Congratulations to Claire Edwards, Associate Professor of Bone Oncology at NDORMS and NDS, Oxford, UK, recipient of the 2023 Mike Horton Award presented during the ECTS 2023 Congress in Liverpool.
For a full list of previous Award recipients, please visit the Previous Grants section.
Dr. Claire Edwards, PhD, was trained in pharmacology and in skeletal malignancies (University of Sheffield), she became Assistant Professor at university of Texas, San Antonio, and later at Vanderbilt University, Nashville and is now Associate Professor of bone Oncology at NDORMS, University of Oxford, UK. She focuses her research on a better understanding of skeletal malignancies, investigating not only the characteristics of tumor cells in the bone, but also the specificities of the bone microenvironment and the importance of the interaction between microenvironment and tumor cells. Her ultimate aim is to advance and optimize personalized treatment for patients with skeletal malignancies.
Claire Edwards is internationally well-recognized for her broad expertise and achievements in the field of skeletal biology. She has contributed seminal findings to the bone field, showing that growth factors in the bone-tumor niche are critical for tumor progression, that there is a close interaction between cancer cells and bone marrow adipocytes and that cancer cells in bone have a specific metabolic profile, opening new possibilities for therapeutic strategies. Her scientific excellence and innovative concepts are also evidenced by the numerous first and last author manuscripts in top-notch journals and Claire Edwards received several awards for her outstanding research achievements. Moreover, her outstanding expertise in the field of bone malignancies and her broad knowledge of skeletal diseases inspired many young basic researchers and numerous PhD students and postdoctoral fellows were trained by her. Several of them, have now an academic position or are active in the biotechnology sector. She is member of the editorial board of several journals, underscoring her broad and thorough expertise of the bone field. Claire Edwards is also highly involved in advancing the Bone Society, as evidenced by being past President of CABS, past Vice-President of BMAS and she is very involved in ECTS, as shown by being a member of the Scientific Program Committee for the 2022 meeting. In addition, she is liaising with CABS and ECTS to organise joint workshops/symposiums during the ECTS annual meetings. Taken together, it is clear from her broad expertise and achievements in basic and translational research that Claire Edwards is highly entitled to receive the Mike Horton Award.
